Actor Oh Eui-sik praised his chemistry with Lee Chae-min.
On 1st at a cafe in Gangnam, Seoul, an interview was held with Oh Eui-sik, an actor in tvN's Bon Appetit, Your Majesty.
The tvN weekend drama Bon Appetit, Your Majesty is a survival fantasy romantic comedy about a chef who time-slips to the past at the peak of his career and meets the worst tyrant and owner of an absolute palate, the king; it concluded on the 28th with episode 12.
In the drama, Oh Eui-sik played the role of Im Song-jae, a notorious traitor and a devoted retainer of Lee Heon who met a heroic end; he gave a passionate performance. He stood out as a key ingredient in Bon Appetit, Your Majesty by playing an active role at the right moments.
In particular, Oh Eui-sik performed as childhood friends with Lee Chae-min, who was actually inserted midway and is 17 years younger. Causing unintended controversy, Oh Eui-sik clarified, "Actually, Chae-min's character wasn't set as the same age. There was a bit of an age difference. It was supposed to be a hyung-young brother relationship. Because of the role setup, people think we're the same age, but we're not," he explained.
He continued with a laugh, "The reason I didn't bother to clarify this earlier was that, no matter the age difference. In reality there was such a big gap with Chae-min. It felt awkward to say, 'We're not the same age!' to explain it." He added, "I wanted to put effort into the work. I thought it was more important to build a believable best-friend relationship than to focus on the age difference."
Oh Eui-sik also praised, "I was actually more worried that Lee Chae-min was suddenly brought in. I wondered if it might be a burden. But from our first meeting, she showed only diligence and enthusiasm, and she gave me the strong impression that she would do well."
He also described the process of becoming 'best friends' with Lee Chae-min. He said, "As with every project, every actor put a lot of time into their role. For this project, since I couldn't actually go to the Joseon era, I felt it was my responsibility as an actor to become best friends with Chae-min, who is 17 years younger."
He recalled, "I'm someone who is often reserved, but whenever we had a chance, we ate together and drank tea. Because of the nature of the shoot, we stayed in the provinces for a long time, so we spent almost all our spare time together. We deliberately stayed at the same accommodations. We spent breaks together, shared many life stories, and were able to break down many walls between us. I believe those things show on screen. Becoming close ultimately helped produce a better result."
Oh Eui-sik said, "But to achieve the result, the younger actor Chae-min probably worked harder. Looking back, that's how it seems. I thought I was the one who reached out, but it must have been harder for Chae-min. She met and treated me with a mature attitude, which helped us get close. Even now when we meet, we greet each other as 'best friends.' I want to give credit to Chae-min," he said, creating a warm moment.
When asked about Lee Chae-min's earlier comment in an interview that she gave Chuseok gifts to Im Yoon-a and the director, Oh Eui-sik said, "We're meeting the day after tomorrow. We'll meet privately. Hearing that she gave gifts to Yoon-a and the director doesn't make me feel left out; it makes me think she really considers me a true best friend. Aren't Chuseok gifts normally given to superiors? I'm actually looking forward to our meeting tomorrow," he said, prompting laughter.
(Continued in interview ②)<
[Photo] Provided by Hijeum
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